Bolt-action firearms are well known in the art. Typically, a cartridge is fed into the receiver from an internal magazine by the forward movement of a bolt. After the shot is fired, the bolt is retracted, which removes the spent casing. The rearward movement of the bolt is limited by a stop machined into the bolt.
However, current bolt designs have several limitations. Primarily, the extension is typically brazed on and encompasses only a small portion of the circumference of the bolt. Both of these factors limit the bolt's strength. In an effort to overcome this problem, attempts have been made to manufacture a one-piece bolt with the extension. This solution suffers from rendering the bolt extremely expensive given the amount of machining required to fabricate the bolt.
Another issue with current bolt designs is the takedown assembly. Known designs make it awkward to remove the bolt. In addition, current scope mounts do not have the unique features of the present invention.
The headspace of a bolt-action rifle is the distance between the face of the closed rifle bolt to the surface in the chamber on which the cartridge case seats.
Headspace ranges are established by industry advisory bodies, government bodies, or by individual manufacturers. In the United States, the primary advisory body is the Small Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute.
In the manufacture of bolt-action rifles, headspace is measured after the firearm has been assembled. If the headspace is not within the specified range, the firearm must in many cases be disassembled and the headspace then adjusted. This process is laborious, time consuming, and slows the production of such rifles.
In view of the above, there is a need for an improved bolt design and scope mounts for a bolt-action firearm as well as a method of assembling a bolt-action rifle where the headspace may be determined, adjusted, and fixed prior to disassembling the rifle. The present invention fulfills these needs and more.